Holly Harrison is an Australian composer from Western Sydney. Her music is driven by the nonsense literature of Lewis Carroll, embracing stylistic juxtapositions, the visceral energy of rock, and whimsical humour. Highly in-demand, Holly’s works are frequently heard across Australia, Asia, Europe, and the USA. Her music has been described as “exploding off the page”, full of “riotous energy, eclectic rhythmic complexity” and “inventive, witty and invested with thrilling dynamism and momentum”. She was the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s composer in residence across 2020-2022, and in 2025 is lead mentor for Ensemble Offspring’s 2025 Hatched Composer Intensive.
2025 sees a world premiere by theremin virtuoso Carolina Eyck and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, along with performances from the Melbourne, Queensland, and Sydney Symphony orchestras. Recent highlights include the premiere of her saxophone concerto, Superhighway, by Matt Styles and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Composer in Residence at the 2024 Canberra International Music Festival, and her wind ensemble work POUNCE being named a finalist in the coveted National Band Association’s 2023 Revelli Composition Contest (USA).
She has worked with the Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmanian, Queensland, West Australian, Canberra, and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. Her music has been performed by Australia’s most celebrated artists, including the Australian String Quartet, Australia Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring, Omega Ensemble, Syzygy Ensemble, Goldner Quartet, Rubiks Collective, Adelaide Wind Orchestra, Partridge Quartet, Kiazma Duo, Arcadia Winds, Duo Blockstix, and Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guilfoyle. Internationally, her music has been performed by Oslo Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, Alarm Will Sound, Nu Deco Ensemble, Manchester Camerata, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Nurnberger Symphoniker, Riot Ensemble, Orkest de Ereprijs, Goldmund Quartet, Ensemble Garage, Spokane Symphony, and Catchfire Collective. Recently, her work has expanded to include orchestral arrangements for Australian songwriters Tim Minchin, Jess Hitchcock, and Monique Brumby.
Holly is the recipient of numerous awards. In 2022, Holly was awarded Western Sydney University’s Chancellor’s Alumni of the Year Award. Holly’s Lobster Tales and Turtle Soup, written for Eighth Blackbird’s 2017 Australian tour, was awarded Performance of the Year at the 2018 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards. She was a finalist at the 2024 and 2021 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards with her chamber work Daredevil and band piece Splinter. She was the winner of the 2018 Nu Deco Ensemble's Nu Works Initiative (USA), the 2017 Sue W Chamber Music Composition Prize (AUS), the 2014 Young Composers Meeting (NL), the 2014 Riot Ensemble Call for Scores (UK), and the 2013 Pyeongchon Arts Hall International Chamber Music Composition Competition (South Korea).
Holly is currently Composer in Residence at The King’s School. She has mentored composers as part of Omega Ensemble’s CoLAB Program (2022-2025), the 2023 ASME National Young Composer Project, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s 2022 Australian Composers’ School. Holly frequently runs composition workshops and seminars at schools across Sydney.
Holly completed a Doctor of Creative Arts at Western Sydney University with Bruce Crossman and John Encarnacao. In addition to composing, Holly plays drum kit and percussion in the improvised rock duo Tabua-Harrison with Joey Tabua (electric guitar).
📷 Steve Broadbent